News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-07-28
SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL.

''At each equinox" s1Ns an astrono-
mer, 'there are about 1O5-fr2urs that
both poles have simultaneous view the
hours the whole of its disc is visible to
bo.h.
Cotton has been successfully intro
duced into three districts of the Cau-
casus, and extensive plantations are to
be established in the vicinity of Erivan.
The Caucasian Agricultural Society will
send agents to study the American sys-
tenn of culture.
An English mineralogist, Mr.. Bryce
Wright, gives the prices of iron in the
form Of meteorites as from S15 or $50 a
pound to as much as $50 an ounce Some
Of the Russian meteOrites are worth $25
to $50 an ounce, and the prices generally
have trebled in the last few years
By experiments on dogs, Nj. L. Quin-
quad finds that a cold bath increases ten
fold the rate Of consumption of oxygen,
double or treble the quantity of air passed
thro>gh the lungs, augment the amount
of carbonic acid expelled, and very much
increase the respiratory combustiOns and
the production of blood-sugar Hot
baths have like influence, Lut in less
degree.
Experiments are believed to show that
aseptOl, or orthopenot-sulphate, is des-
tined to take the place of carbolic acid
as disinfectant and antiseptic 1t is "a
syrupy, brown fluid of aromatic odor,
and soluble in alcohol, glycerine, and wa
ter and is not irritating in as strong as
10 per cent. solutions. AS an aAtiseptic
it is said to equal carbolic acid, while pos.
sessing also the advantage of pleasantel
odor, more solubility, etc.
DR.. r. W Raymond lately called at
tentlOn to the reputed connection be-
tween certain plants and metals in the
underlying soil Thus zinc violet or
GdtmstCetieiea, -ssoEetimes regarded as
a distinct species under the name of Vi2-
Ia ca,omamiaaria-points out the hills
containing calamine, or Zinc-ore, in
Rhenish Prussia and Belgium. The lead
plant, Amogpha caResceaS is believed by
American miners to grow only in locali-
ties containing galena, and E1iogmum
0rdtgotiUm is probably destined to be
known in the west as the silver plant.
Careful experiments on the sense of
smell in dogs have been made by George
j. Romanes, who has communicated the
results to the Linnaan Society of Lon.
don. He finds that not only tie feet but
the whole body of man eXh9le peculiar
or individual odor which dog can rec
ognize as that of his master amid a
crowd of other persons; that the
individual quality of this odor can be rec
ognized at great distances to windward, or
in calm weather at great distances in any
direction; and that even powerful per-
fumes may not overcome this odor. Yet
a single sheet of brown paper, when
stepped upon instead of the ground, and
removed, was sufficient to pre-
vent Mr. Romanes' dog from following
his trail.
Heights, under the equator, from the
sea to the level of 16, 200 feet-that of
perpetual snow-are divided by Meyer
into eight zones or regions, which he
names from the characteristic plants: ],
palms and bananas, beginning at sea-
level; ?, trec-ferns and frs, at 1000 feet;
3, myrtles and laurels, 1850 feet; 4,
evergreen dicotyledonou. trees, 6,120
feet; 5. European dicotyledonOus trees,
8, 100 feet; 6, pines, 10, 140 feet; 7, rho
12, $50 feet; 8, Alpine
plants, IA, 40 feet. The corresponding
zones in latitude, at sea-level, are: /,
latitude 0 degrees-15 de-
grees; 2, tropical, Is degrees-23 de-
grees; 3, sub-tropical 90 degrees-34
degrees; 4, warm-temperate, "a degrees
-45 degrees-5S degrees; 6, sub-arctic,
50 degrees-G6 degrees; Z, arctic, 66
degrees: 8, polar, rs de
grees-88 degrees. Beyond SO degrees
vegetation is supposed to be lacking.